Local area networks are widely used as a mechanism for making available computer resources, such as file servers, scanners, and printers, to a multitude of computer users. It is often desirable with such networks to restrict user access to the computer resources in order to manage data traffic over the network and to prevent unauthorized use of the resources. Typically, resource access is restricted by defining access control lists for each network resource. However, as the control lists can only be defined by the network administrator, it is often difficult to manage data traffic at the resource level.
Wide area networks, such as the Internet, have evolved as a mechanism for providing distributed computer resources without regard to physical geography. Recently, the Internet Print Protocol (“IPP”) has emerged as a mechanism to control access to printing resources over the Internet. However, IPP is replete with deficiencies.
First, as IPP-compliant printing devices are relatively rare, Internet printing is not readily available.
Second, although IPP allows user identification information to be transmitted to a target resource, access to IPP-compliant resources can only be changed on a per-resource basis. This limitation can be particularly troublesome if the administrator is required to change permissions for a large number of resources.
Third, users must have the correct resource driver and know the IPP address of the target resource before communicating with the resource. Therefore, if the device type or the IPP address of the target resource changes, users must update the resource driver and/or the IPP address of the resource. Also, if a user wishes to communicate with a number of different resources, the user must install and update the resource driver and IPP address for each resource as the properties of each resource changes.
Fourth, access to IPP printers cannot be obtained without the resource administrator locating the resource outside the enterprise firewall, or without opening an access port through the enterprise firewall. Whereas the latter solution provides the resource administrator with the limited ability to restrict resource access, the necessity of opening an access port in the enterprise firewall exposes the enterprise network to the possibility of security breaches.
Consequently, there remains a need for a network resource access solution which allows resource owners to easily and quickly control resource access, which is not hindered by changes in device type and resource network address, which facilitates simultaneous communication with a number of target resources, and which does not expose the enterprise network to a significant possibility of security breaches.